Hyderabad, September 19, 2016: Many of us wear glasses to see to drive, watch TV, or to read. But what happens when glasses don’t help? When reduced vision causes individuals to not recognize their loved ones, or see well enough to walk, drive or see at night.

Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) can develop when individuals are in their prime school and working years and threatens them to lose their independence. RP causes a severe loss of side vision (causing tunnel vision) and also night vision. While rare in the Western countries (about 1 in 4000 people), the incidence of RP in India is almost 10 times higher - about 1 in 350 people in some areas! So, there are over 2,000,000 people with RP in India that experience challenges in their day-to-day lives, such as walking, recognizing people, losing their way and seeing in low light and at night.

While new, exciting medical and surgical treatments are being researched, both with gene therapy, stem cells and with retinal implants called bionic eyes, these projects are still very early in development and do not yet offer near-normal vision, and are available only to a very select few individuals.

Technology is available today that can ease some of the challenges that our family members, friends and neighbours with RP face daily. Describing some of the products like new Field Expander developed by Ocutech in the USA, Dr Greene highlighted that it is now available at the Centre for Sight Enhancement at L V Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad. These hi-tech looking eyeglasses contain miniature wide-angle telescopic lenses that allow individuals with RP to see more area at once, lessening the impact of their tunnel vision. They make users feel more comfortable walking, finding their way, seeing their companions, and offering increased confidence in their day-to-day lives. Moreover, Dr Greene and his team are working out a cost-effective model to ensure these products are made available to the patients in India.

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